Why do people bag on the US so much? Its only big flaw is letting Mexico informally invade.

america was at one time the greatest country in the world (not debatable)... but living within a 2 hour drive of the border i can tell you that americans still think that they are the greatest people in the world and that manifest destiny is still alive and kicking...

the reality is that the US is a borderline failed state with a collapsing social contract

1. The Economist is a British "newspaper" (as its authors like to call it), meaning claims of American propagandization don't make a lot of sense -- if you ever read it, you will come across subtle digs at America's (perceived) fatness, religiosity, and sometimes outright backwardness.

2. The calculations include economic projections to 2030; as we all ought to know by now, such projections are wrong approximately 100% of the time.

3. Attempting to objectify a notion such as 'life satisfaction' may be fun, but it is unscientific and not much knowledge is gained by the exercise. (As far as I can tell, the only interesting fact garnered from this exercise in particular is that two-thirds of the variation in subjective reports of well-being can be accounted for by per capita GDP.)

america was at one time the greatest country in the world (not debatable)... but living within a 2 hour drive of the border i can tell you that americans still think that they are the greatest people in the world and that manifest destiny is still alive and kicking...

the reality is that the US is a borderline failed state with a collapsing social contract

And one of the few places that being a school kid is more dangerous than for a soldier in a war-zone. I can just imagine the recruiters informing the kids that they are safer in Afghanistan fighting towel heads than they are in the school yard.